DINOSAUR at Animal Kingdom Ride Review at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
See this page for all of the Disney’s Animal Kingdom attraction reviews.
Opened: April 22, 1998, under the name “Countdown to Extinction.”
Location: In the back of DinoLand USA and to the left of Restaurantosaurus, up this path.
Extra Magic Hours: Morning.
Ride Length: 4 minutes.
Type: Dark ride.
Similar To: Test Track and Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland.
Requirements: Must be 40” or taller to ride.
Scary Factor: High. Dinosaur is one dark, loud, bumpy ride. Although there are no drops more than a few feet, and the vehicles don’t move particularly fast, this may still prove to be a more intense experience than Expedition Everest, and the scariest ride at Animal Kingdom.
Here, one dinosaur is devouring another in near pitch-black conditions. Fortunately(?), the camera probably sees better than you will. In recent years, Disney has added transitions to several scenes and improved the lighting, which has gone a long way to making the ride “feel” more cohesive and not just a bump ride in the dark.
Is It Too Scary? DINOSAUR is not for those who have had problems on other Disney World attractions. If Haunted Mansion or Tower of Terror caused so much anxiety that the kids were worried and whimpering throughout the process, consider skipping Dino. Also, don’t visit this attraction early in the day if your child is prone to fear or easily rattled. It may “shut them down” for the rest of the day, and they’ll be apprehensive about riding other attractions, no matter how innocuous they appear. People have left comments over the years attesting to this below.
The atmosphere that the ride creates is one of danger, panic, and pure terror as riders try to avoid meteors, dinosaurs, and ultimately, their own extinction. For some reason, they’ve also beamed you back in time during a meteor shower in a roofless vehicle. The ride is relentless and there is little time to stop and remind your youngster that they’re safe. Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom is also much rougher than Test Track at Epcot or other comparable rides, and you may want to think twice if you run the risk of injuring your back or neck. Most adults and older children will enjoy the ride, or at least not be frightened during it. Because of how dark and jostling the ride is, filming it is difficult, but you can pull up this video to get a better idea about the experience.
What to Expect: Dinosaur is located in the “Dino Institute,” at Animal Kingdom which is an elaborately themed queue area with authentic dinosaur fossils.
After you move through the queue, you will be taken to watch a short video where your mission is explained. Once the pre-show concludes, you’ll move to the next area, where you board a 12-person “Time Rover” vehicle, each if which has three rows with four people sitting in each. Once strapped in, you will embark on your wild ride through time and space.
Speedy Preshow Exit: After the pre-show video, a door on the opposite side of the room will open. This hallway leads to a set of stairs down to the loading area. If you’re in a hurry, move all the way across the room and stand next to the doors. With how quickly vehicles load, the last person to exit the pre-show will only wait a couple of additional minutes compared to the first person who leaves, but every second may count when it comes to life and death.
Where to Sit: Each row seats four people in individual seats with individual seat belts. Seating isn’t particularly important here, though the two seats on the sides of the front row afford the best view. The vehicle will also bounce you around a bit less up front. The back row will feel like it’s tossed around the most.
It may be best to put the nervous in the middle seats because they will be furthest from the dinosaurs that appear off to the sides of the vehicle. The ride is so dark that most of what you’ll be able to see will be off to the sides when the vehicle momentarily breaks.
On-Ride Photo:
Look to the right when you see the carnotaurus near the end of the ride. You’ll want to take advantage of MagicBand technology here. At the ride exit, Disney no longer automatically displays the photos on screens like they do at a lot of other rides. If your on-ride photo isn’t beamed to your My Disney Experience account via a MagicBand, you’ll need to talk to a cast member to get the photo properly linked manually.
This Ride Feels Familiar: The track and ride vehicles are exact replicas of the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland.
FastPass+: Yes – moderate priority. Most people will prefer to book Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris in advance. FastPass+ for either of those rides will save more time and availability is more limited.
What You Miss Using FastPass+:
Not much.
FastPass+ users will hurry through this main queue area, but so will most guests visiting during a recommended time.
Total Average Experience Time with FastPass+: 18 minutes.
4th FastPass+ Availability: With its hefty hourly capacity, Dinosaur distributes a lot of FastPass+ experiences each day. On the day of your visit, there may initially be very little or no availability. Luckily, FastPass+ for Dinosaur become available more often than Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and most other rides. Refresh persistently and a time should become available, particularly in the afternoon and evening.
Expect to Wait:
When To Go: Before 10am, after 6pm, or with FastPass+. Dinosaur may open or close before the rest of Animal Kingdom. Double check the Times Guide if you’re planning on visiting during the first or last hour of operation. It’s more common that the ride closes an hour before the rest of the Park.
Rating: 7/10
Josh’s Take: Dinosaur is a thrilling ride that may be too intense for younger riders and too bumpy and jerky for older riders. The ride is also so dark that it’s difficult to see what it is that you’re supposed to be so scared of at times. It remains recommended because it is one of the Park’s major attractions, but be aware of the possible detractions and consider skipping it if it isn’t a good fit for your group. Youngsters and those who are too short may prefer to spend their time at The Boneyard playground nearby instead.
WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME: Technically, the attraction is named “DINOSAUR” in all capital letters, not “Dinosaur.”
This is a perfect description of this ride! Im 18 years old and this ride caught me by surprise.. I think its amazing but pretty frightening.
I feel the need to add my 2 cents to this. I agree wholeheartedly with Josh. This ride is jerky and relentless. I am a 28 year old guy and halfway through the ride I was wishing I was in fantasy land riding the teacups. Seriously, think twice before you put a kid on this ride.
First time my daughter was tall enough to ride (about 6 or 7) I thought she would be terrorized. Turned out she just loved it. She told me “Mom, the dinosaurs aren’t real!” That comes from a child who has been raised at Disneyland and WDW. Anyway, we love this ride, first rode it when it was Countdown to Extinction. However, my heart belongs to the Indy ride at DL. We ride it all the time, mostly using Single Rider. 🙂 LOVE Single rider lines!
It’s an amazing ride it is extremely jerky but n o where near as jerky as Indiana Jones adventure my brother is six and says he’ll never do it again I do not recommend this ride to anybody with back,neck ,or spine issues but overall it is probably my favorite ride at animal kingdom (other than test track) if not my favorite ride I would rate this
ride a decent 9.5 out of ten but this on my top 10 must do attractions at animal kingdom
Thank you! I am excited about riding this and taking my own brave and realistic kids. But all the reviews are so dark and foreboding, it’s nice to see a positive review.
Don’t bother with this ride. It was too scary for my 4 and 6 year olds. It was so noisy, bumpy, and chaotic that I could barely hold on to them and brace my self with my other arm. If you do ride it, bring earplugs.
It’s really too bad the scope for this ride isn’t nearly as nice as Indy at Disneyland. But, still lots of fun.
I have been eagerly riding honest-to-goodness thrill rides since I was four. I am now forty, and this might be the scariest ride I have ever ridden. The darkness, the bright flashes of light, the noise; it’s all so disorienting and panic-inducing! There may not be any drops or twists, but there is a real sense of impending danger. I am SO glad I didn’t try to coerce my anxious seven-year-old into going. Even my seventeen y.o. was a little freaked. That being said, it’s a GREAT ride. I was just surprised by the intensity.
I didnt believe it to be near that scary. I truly enjoyed it but as far as disorienting rides i found primevil whirl to be much more. I have rode every ride you can think of. Including ones in sandusky, Ohio
I am really surprised by the review and comments. I ADORE this ride. I do remember being startled the 2nd time I rode (that being 11 years after riding it the first time, lol). But I would say action packed but not terrifying. And I love the very end bit. It makes me smile the rest of the day. I can’t say enough good about this ride. LOVE it. Star Tours, the older version at least, was much jerkier than this one. Ride it. You’ll love it.
I love this ride, and my son rode it over and over when he was only 3 (and just made the height limit). It is bumpy but brilliant fun. Would also have to disagree about it being more intense than Everest, I would never ride that again! Took me an hour to recover from the experience – rest of my family love it though.
I’m 22 years old and I genuinely have recurring nightmares about that carnotaurus *shudder*
Every time I get on that ride it seems like a good idea, and every time I get off I vow never again.
I am a 19 y.o. (17 when I rode) guy and my first experience on this with my little cousin had me just sigh half way through and look at my hands the rest of the way. I do have an irrational fear of dinosaurs but dear lord they take it overboard. Mainly because the ride does very little beforehand to warn you that it will traumatize you. Do not take small children on this ride but if you want to get your blood flowing it will surely get you excited.
I rode this thing once. And I never will again. I’m all about some thrill rides, but the sense of “danger” here is just too much for me. Not to mention how jerky the thing is! I’m “blessed” (for lack of a more tactful way of putting it), and I could decide whether to hold onto the seat or to myself! I rode with my eyes shut (terrifying was the right word in my case) and I was sore the rest of the day. Never. Ever. Again.
Amusing, how scary some people find this ride! My son was 6 when we went on it and it was his favorite thing ever…we went on it three times in a row I think, and the second ride began with my son, sitting in the front row of the ride before it began, yelling “THIS IS AWESOME!! I LOVE DISNEYWORLD!!” lol
I loved this ride when it first opened and was hoping to take my Dino obsessed 4 yr old on it but I will probably test him out on a couple of other rides and ride it alone before taking him on. That said I love scary rides then more frightening the better!!!
I am the biggest chicken regarding thrill rides but I will ride this. I hate drops, so roller coasters are out for me except very tame ones. However, I will ride DINOSAUR. I’m not saying it isn’t incredibly intense and the photo pass pics of me hiding in the seat are hilarious, but I can ride this. Definitely not for small children. Intense is the best description. It just depends on what frightens you.
“Definitely not for small children.” Hey, they are still better off than with the scary Disney ride from when I was little. My dad took me onto Alien Encounters as a small child.. that definitely scared me. We road Buzz Lightyear afterwords to make up for it. ;p
This review is spot on. I really enjoyed the ride but was surprised at how scary it was. Its definitely iffy for young kids.
Do not ride this if your old, have neck or heart problems, It is way to rough, and there is no warning of spinning or sudden stops . Do not bring large bags onto ride because it will not fit into storage bin, and will fall onto the track, If that happens operators will not stop the ride to get it until 10:30 at night when the park closes. No comparison to test track or indy . I will never ride this again.
It terrified my 6 year old grandson so much, he cried for 7 hours until we finally had to pack him up and drive 5 hours home and skip the last 2 days. Lost all our fast passes to Soarin , Avatar, etc. he may never go anywhere with us again! I am beyond upset. DO NOT TAKE CHIKDTEN. PERIOD.
I’d give it a 5 myself based on October, 2019 visit. Basically a lot of bouncing around which I found uncomfortable and lots of effects which either weren’t working or else were too dark to see left me mostly wishing the ride was over by about half-way through. It’s been over a decade since I rode the DL Raiders version, but I remember that as having far superior theming and story line.